Petty (who took guitar lessons in Gainesville as a teen from future Eagles guitarist Don Felder) and keyboardist Benmont Tench are Gainesville natives and the rest of the band was kicking around North Florida when the band was formed.
Although they remained a huge concert draw up until Petty’s death in 2017, they arguably hit their peak with a 2006 hometown show at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville. The band was given the key to the city and the mayor declared it Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Day before the band took the stage for a show that was recorded for a video, “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Live in Gatorville.”
Their legacy can still be seen in Gainesville on Saturdays in the fall when 90,000 University of Florida fans sing along to “I Won’t Back Down” at the end of the third quarter at Gator football games.
